#aegis fang

[seanofbeankeep]

Aegis Fang 3310

- Regis has the snake high score on it

- it plays midi battle song ringtones for Wulfgar as he fights

- Sheila Kree used up all Wulfgars credit

[sachi]

☆ Fuyusaka Iori // 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim ☆ Resin kit / 1/7 / Biao Jia Moxing Fang ☆ Wonder Festival 2023 [Summer] ¥22,000 ☆ Sculpt / Paint HongShanYu

[grailfigure]

Furyusaka Iori // 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Garage Kit (1/7) by Biao Jia Moxing Fang & Wondersmith

[lady-quen]

Aight here goes ✨️Nothing✨️ aka the probably horribly unbalanced Mael fanspec. Keeping the necromancer green theme for the icons! Also credit to @soulbeastdragon for letting me use their post dividers as a base for my own divider 🫡

This miiiight get reworked several times *coughs* I did say I was doing it just for fun as someone who sucks severely at mmos, but if someone wants to give feedback also for fun go ahead ^^. Most details such as skill range, uptime, cd, and boon/condi amount missing for aforementioned reasons.

The spec would likely make good use of power and healing power builds and be good for cc and burst DPS or group healing. Keep in mind I'm not trying to come up with a balanced spec that fills specific gameplay niches the class is missing, but rather a spec purely for lore reasons.

Diabolist

"Devour death itself, and rise."

"The Diabolist has become closely acquaintanced with death, and chained themself to a demonic source of energy. Utilize the Diabolist Shroud to greatly enhance your equipped weapon skills, at the cost of taking constant damage."

Diabolists excel in burst damage and crowd control and gain access to Alysidomancy skills, creating spectral portals to draw on hellish chains to immobilize themselves for health and life force generation, or immobilize and pull foes for a quick kill. They also gain access to an offhand shield which provides boon stealing and pulling capabilities.

Skills and Traits under readmore.

Skills

Shield skills:

4: Putrid Aegis: assume a shielded stance, stealing boons for each time struck. 4s, vulnerable to cc

5: Hell's Gate: manifest a spectral portal upon the shield's surface, pulling and chilling the target. -> Hell's Breach: shield bash the target, inflicting daze and stealing a boon.

Profession skill:

Alysidomancy: use of demonic chains (short cast animation plays, can be cast while moving)

Slot skills:

Heal: Chains of Suppression: Immobilize yourself and gain stability and protection. Sacrifice life force to heal (chargable skill)

Utility:

Chains of Invitation: Open a spectral portal and use chains to pull out a shade*. (Can stack with normal shade. This version does not gain access to Haunt, but generates additional life force)

*similar to the Shambling Horror, the shade model is slightly altered, with a subtle blue fire effect instead of the green haze.

Chains of Esurience: Pull up to three enemies towards you, transfer a condition to each, and inflict chill. Generate life force and gain regeneration.

Chains of Terror: Stunbreak. Launch yourself towards the target and inflict fear.

Chains of Inevitability: Immobilize an enemy, corrupt a boon and gain might and fury.

Elite: Chains of Perdition: Immobilize and lift up to 5 enemies around you with demonic hooks, inflicting damage and gaining life force for each second spent suspended up to a max of 4. (Cancelable via stunbreak.) Gain 10s of might, fury and quickness. Bonus chance to trigger unique voiceline ("Let me hear you beg!")

Profession mechanic: Diabolist Shroud: Diabolists forgo Shroud-specifc skills in favor of greatly enhanced damage on currently equipped weapons. Life force does not act as a second health bar; Ticks down slower than usual but ticks down health as well.

Visuals: Diabolist Shroud spawns a fanged portal upon your chest, and every glow effect on the character turns blue. The Shroud's eyes are wide and circular. Character model and weapons gain a shifting, smoky shader.

Audio: loud chain rattling noises in Diabolist Shroud and when using Alysidomancies.

Traits:

Minor Proficiency: You can now wield shields.

Minor Adept: Faustian Bargain: Death Shroud becomes Diabolist Shroud, granting powerful offense at the cost of forgoing Shroud-specific skills and losing health over time. Gain access to Alysidomancies.

Major Adept:

1 - Self-Flagellation: Self-immobilize inflicts bleeding, but generates additional life force.

2 - Death's Gambit: Deal increased strike damage (15%) when below 50% HP.

3 - Squalid Symbiosis: Chains of Suppression now launch phantom links to nearby allies, sharing the amount healed. Reduced recharge on shield skills. Shield boon steal now shares boons with linked allies.

Minor Master: Hellhound's Ambush: Entering Diabolist Shroud grants 5 seconds of swiftness and stability.

Major Master:

1 - Fatal Hypothermia: chilling a foe additionally inflicts slow. (2s?)

2 - Malleus Maleficarum: Immobilizing foes grants might and inflicts burning.

3 - Feeding Frenzy: Using skill 5 in Diabolist Shroud additionally grants quickness and regeneration. (5 s?)

Minor Grandmaster: Terminal Lucidity: Gain health and protection when entering Diabolist Shroud. (Reasonably small heal)

Major Grandmaster:

1 - Sell Your Soul: 10% of vitality is converted to power and healing power. 10% of toughness is converted to ferocity and precision.

2 - Evergaol: immobilize effects on foes last longer. (2s) Immobilized foes take increased damage (20%?)

3 - Pandaemonium: Chains of Invitation additionally summons a second shade. Gain regeneration when both shades are active.

Associated Items:

Diabolist's Shield

Shorn Salvation (ascended shield)

Diabolist's Shackles (gauntlets)

Superior Rune of the Diabolist (power + healing power)

[callimara]

WILDWARD: About & Master Post

About

Wildward is an original “magical girl” story by callimara loosely inspired by the show Miraculous Ladybug and Tokyo Mew Mew. However, unlike traditional ‘magical girl’ stories which focuses on the school-age experience, Wildward follows a cast of original characters in their young adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it. Being independent and trying to make ends meet is difficult enough, but their lives only become more complicated when they stumble upon mysterious jewellery that unleashes their wild side and transforms them into demigods! But just like everything else in the grown-up world, their newfound abilities come with a price. Now they must face mysterious and terrifying beasts from other dimensions that are even wilder than they are. Can they protect humanity from this extradimensional threat? Or will they succumb to their own primal urges?

Power System

In this world, exists 8 legendary artifacts known as Aegises, which are magical accessories inhabited by mythical beings called Sentinels. The Sentinels are capable of bestowing those in possession of their Aegis with supernatural abilities. The Sentinels primarily reside inside of their aegis until they are called upon by their wielder, at which point, they will leave their aegis and possess the wielder as their new vessel: granting them power. When they manifest outside of their aegis – often to act as a guide to their wielders - the Sentinels take on the form of the first creature they possessed, and are only visible to their wielders. When possessed by a Sentinel, their vessels develop the physical attributes of their Sentinels, such as wings, claws, and fangs. Aegis wielders also become more in tune with their survival instincts, gaining superhuman reflexes, stamina, speed, strength, sight, vision, and smell. Their transformed appearance follows the user’s preferences, however Aegis weapons are based on the individual wielder’s strengths and skills, allowing users of the same Aegis to wield different weapons, as well as a sub-weapon. This transformed state acts as an armor, giving them invincibility over normal weapons, increasing their physical durability and suppressing their pain perception, allowing them to survive fatal and/or immobilizing injuries. Only Aegis wielders (or those of a similar nature) are capable of injuring other Aegis wielders. Each Aegis has a limit to the amount of damage their transformed states can sustain: some being higher than others. If the sustained damage remains within these limits, all injuries disappear once the wielder de-transforms. However, if this limit is breached, the injuries they sustained may transfer to their normal bodies when they de-transform. The Aegis function by tapping into its wielder’s energy. Hence, the wielder’s bodies are forced to increase metabolism and produce more energy to keep up with the demand: similar to aerobic exercise. The longer they remain transformed, the further their bodies are pushed to exhaustion. The length of time that wielders are able to remain transformed depends solely on their physical fitness. Because of this, the Aegis wielders must also train their normal bodies, build fitness and endurance to remain transformed for longer. When transformed, their Aegis has the power to make it so that it would be impossible for someone to recognize their wielder, even with the assistance of psychic powers or DNA sampling. Each Aegis also possesses an activation and deactivation phrase, as well as a special power.

More world-building and lore!

▶ The Sentinels

▶ The Aegis & Spellbook

▶ The Setting

▶ The Characters

▶ Frequently Asked Questions

▶ Episodes

▶ Read it on Ao3

▶ Mood Boards

(Updated 16th January 2024)

[thankskenpenders]

There have been some interesting bits of Sonic-related news lately! This is the post where I comment on them.

Sonic Superstars

Finally! A new Sonic sidescroller! It's been too long.

Admittedly, in a perfect world, I would've wanted a Sonic Mania 2, but I'll take a 2.5D game with all new zones for sure, especially when the art direction for it looks this nice. And four-player co-op with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles AND Amy playable? Hell yeah. Also Fang is back, and there's a new funny little guy designed by Naoto Ohshima! Wow!

There's been some concern over how this will play, particularly after it was discovered it's being co-developed by Ohshima's company Arzest. They're perhaps best known for some mediocre Nintendo games like Yoshi's New Island, Hey! Pikmin, and the 3DS version of Mario & Sonic 2016, as well as, of course... co-production on Balan Wonderworld. The thing is, Arzest is very much one of those "silent collaborator" type companies. They're hired gun developers who do the grunt work on projects for other studios without being put in the spotlight. The quality of their games isn't really up to Arzest, who are presumably just doing whatever they're directed to do with whatever resources they're allotted. It's up to their publishers.

Based on the side-by-side physics comparisons that have been going around Twitter, it seems clear that SOMEONE on this project is invested in making Superstars play just like the classic games. I'm admittedly no Sonic physics purist, but the extended gameplay footage (with placeholder music from Sonic 4 Episode 2) looks spot on to me. Christian Whitehead also seems to know things about the game, stating that "the Mania physics were indeed fully translated to modern 3D." It seems that at the very least they consulted his previous work on this, regardless of whether or not he's actually involved.

But even if this ends up not being true, honestly, I'll take a new Sonic sidescroller that's "just okay" if it has all new zones, nice art direction, and good music. If Sonic 4 had checked those three boxes but played exactly the same, I would've been way more into it.

Really, it's the music that has me most concerned. Obviously we all love Jun Senoue, but hearing he's trying to do "classic-style" music again makes me worry that he's gonna bust out the fake Genesis synths. I'm actually a weirdo who likes the Classic Sonic stage themes in Forces, but those weren't by Senoue, whose otherwise very strong compositions were really hurt by the sound palette chosen for Sonic 4. Like many others, I'd prefer it if Superstars went for the new jack swing sound of Sonic Mania - and considering Tee Lopes is contributing, hopefully he's allowed to tap into that sound a little. But I'd be open to other styles, too. I just really don't think a game with HD visuals should be going for a fake 16-bit sound.

But yeah, overall, I'm looking forward to Superstars. I think we've needed something like this for a long time, and I'm glad they're finally doing it.

Sega union update

We don't have many details on this, but the newly forming Sega of America union, AEGIS-CWA, is facing resistance from management. Apparently some form of "anti-union campaign" (their wording) is underway, also described more worryingly as "relentless attempts at union busting." We unfortunately don't have more details right now, and it seems like no news outlets are doing anything with this story.

This behavior is unfortunately not surprising, even from a company that purports progressive values like Sega. Remember kids: corporations are not your friends.

In the face of this, the members of AEGIS-CWA are still trying to convince management to stay neutral with the help of their fan petition that raised over 4300 signatures. At the time of writing this, their first union election is also underway. I continue to wish them luck in their efforts. We're currently seeing a wave of unionization attempts the likes of which we've never seen before, and I have to hope that at least some of them stick. We need real change in the game industry, an industry where if you're able to stick around longer than ten years without burning out then you're one of the lucky ones.

Okay now time for the thing y'all really wanted me to comment on

Penders says he's leaving Twitter

Earlier this month, Penders announced: "Since Twitter is promoting anti-trans nonsense, I can’t in good conscience continue to be associated with it much longer."

He's certainly not wrong. Elon's been doubling down on his transphobic fearmongering, and Twitter's already weak moderation of hate speech has only gotten even weaker. (They quietly removed their rule against intentional misgendering in April.) But based on the date he tweeted this, I assume Ken was referring specifically to Elon promoting Matt Walsh's shit ass transphobic documentary, which Elon personally allowed to be hosted on Twitter in its entirety. I'd quit the site myself if it didn't feel necessary to promote my work and stay connected with my peers. (Both the furry community and the gamedev sphere are very much centered on Twitter.) Assuming Ken does actually leave in protest, hey, good on him.

There's been some surprise over the fact that he's apparently a trans ally, but for all his many flaws, Penders has always been your average baby boomer Democrat. Half his tweets are about hoping Trump goes to jail. He has many outdated views that he refuses to unpack (I am not going to devolve this post into a catalog of stupid shit he's tweeted), but he at least understands that "progressive" is a thing you should try to be. He's that uncle who you wouldn't go to for a nuanced view on queer identity, but like, he knows trans people exist and are discriminated against and that that's bad.

Of course, instead of just leaving Twitter, he's announced that he intends to leave by September 30th, after which point people will have to contact him via his website. The idea of someone scheduling a date four months in the future on which they're going to leave a social media platform in protest is very, very funny to me. I wonder if he has something planned for September that needs to happen first - like, you know, maybe finally releasing at least a portion of The Lara-Su Chronicles?

Lord knows when the hell we'll be able to read the first part of the comic, but in the near future you WILL be able to buy THIS on a t-shirt!

Wait did he change that one character from Anthony Mackie to Ernie Hudson???

Anyway, my one hope is just that even if he does leave Twitter, he doesn't delete his account. His tweets have long been one of my most important sources for behind the scenes info on Archie Sonic, even if you do have to take some of it with a grain of salt. Gallagher and Bollers are simply not going on Twitter and talking about this stuff on a regular basis like Ken does. With so many old forums and fan sites now gone, only partially preserved by the Wayback Machine, Ken deleting his Twitter would truly be the burning of the library of Alexandria for old Archie Sonic behind the scenes drama.

You know, assuming he actually does leave Twitter.

...

Aaaand that about does it for Sonic-related news lately, I think? Okay, back to my hiatus. I would still like to get back to updating sometime this year, but I'm still in recovery mode following SLARPG's launch, so I can't promise when that'll be. I appreciate everyone's continued patience!

[valentine-cafe]

˖⁺. ﹙ the naga mechanist. ﹚: zhào jìngyí 1311 .𖹭 ݁

. . . in love with a criminal !? 🍒 : “ such a beautiful face, I do not deserve to have such grace in my presence, yet here you are. stepping into the serpent's den, willingly  ”

꒰ verse ꒱ 1311

꒰ species ꒱ naga, grim reaper 

꒰ ethnicity ꒱ chinese 

꒰ age ꒱ 47

꒰ gender ꒱ male

꒰ mbti ꒱ infj

꒰ alias ꒱ fang, the mechanist, màiguózéi ( rishen herrera ), the snake, the devil’s right hand, fangyi

꒰ story ꒱ 

a looming presence, silent and aloof— be he in face or words. like any snake would, two peering eyes observe and await for the perfect time to the strike.

jìngyí stands feared, as both a leader of the enigma sector and right hand to the devil himself. with his quick wit and faster hands, his trade as a mechanist fits him well. able to craft all sorts of gadgets and gizmos in his fight against the discrimination of the supernatural and his fight against aegis.

cold and calculative is how he lives his life. one would be wise as to not cross such a serpent, with loyalty to none other than one.

 

꒰ appearance ꒱

white eyes with a slitted pupil

mid-length, fluffy dark wolfcut styled hair often either pulled into a ponytail

6’7” ft ( 201 cm ) in his humanoid form, 7” ft ( 213 cm ) long in his half snake form, 13” ft ( 396 cm ) in his snake form.

tanned skin tone with sharp facial features. has a beauty spot below his left eye

rows of sharp teeth with two pairs of fangs on his upper and bottom canines, elongated tongue

lean and toned body. he has some scattered scales along the backs of his shoulders and on some of his limbs

slim hands riddled with silver rings on all fingers

long and sharp dark talons

dark mechanic aesthetic — with some poet styled aesthetics in there as well.

standard lobe on his left ear, which is littered with two helix piercings, a conch and a tragus piercing, while his right ear only has a standard lobe.

often seen wearing his mechanic goggles

has an eyebrow piercing on his right brow

always looks a bit pouty and deadpan.

wears rose gold jewellery on rare occasions

can unhinge his jaw

 

꒰ personality ꒱

quiet and every stoic in general. can be quite the monotone person, especially in expression. caries a certain coldness with him

relatively introverted, only really talks with those he feels safe talking to

quick thinker, his wit goes up against many people and he’s typically the winner. an observer in nature

very stealthy, ties in well with his quietness. he’s careful to, always being certain

very deceptive and known for his silver tongue. he needn’t be expressive for this. he’s quite insightful too, pulling information out is his strong suit

incredibly intimidating, especially with his position and title. he can make the coldest of threats without even blinking. highly respected and feared

tying in with his silver tongue, he can be incredibly persuasive when need be

very observant and focused. it’s hard to catch him off guard in general

flexible, he’s able to adapt when the environment calls for it. whether that be switching from brains to combat, from stealth to striker, he’s able to act quick

can be incredibly stubborn when it comes down to it. not one to really move on his stance

very loyal to those that he deems warrants it

loving and caring to those he loves. becomes quite protective over them and they see his softer side

 

꒰ with a lover ꒱

very clingy. it isn’t the first thing you’d think him to be at first glance. but he does as a matter of fact, need to cling to you physically as much as he possibly can throughout the day.

pda? what’s that? will start making out with you wherever he thinks is the right spot to do so in. he loves pulling you close with his hands on your waist, pressing hungry, open mouthed kisses to your lips.

turns into a literal puppy when you start petting his hair, or his tail — loves when you snuggle up in the middle of his tail when he is in snake form

likes having you with him to work, sitting you down on one of the desks of his mechanic station. fixing up and building new trinkets and machinery — he always makes sure you stay entertained and well fed as well when you are with him.

surprisingly shows his love to you verbally more than physically — he shows you plenty of affection physically, but his words are what holds the heaviest love and feelings for you and he loves whispering it into your ear when you are feeling down.

loves dancing you around in his apartment, waltzing around to classical music with a lovesick smile on his face

will take you on dates around the sector whether it be dinner dates, picnics or shopping. any chance he gets to spoil you, he will.

loves bathing together with you, huddled up in the bathtub and feeling the close and nicely contrasting feeling of warm against cold skin. he just loves resting you on him and washing your hair gently.

a relatively gentle lover — he can be quite possessive, sure, but he tries to make sure you are always comfortable and feel like you are in a safe space.

 

꒰ strengths ꒱

shapeshifting: able to shift into a large black snake, around 13ft ( 396cm ) at length. he can also shift into a half-snake form in which his lower half is that of a snake, about 7ft ( 213cm ) in length

increased bodily function: advanced strength, speed, agility and durability.

heightened senses: advanced sight, smell, hearing, taste and awareness of surroundings.

healing factor: an average healing factor that heals his injuries far quicker than most

fangs and bite: has a set of snake fangs that can secrete two venoms: a paralytic, which he uses for sedation, and a fatal. he can switch between them. and especially powerful bite

talons & venomous touch: he has talons that secrete high levels of venom. this venom is extracted by thin wired implanted on his wrists that carry his venom to his nails, resulting in venom-induced touches should he use them on someone.

snake physiology: has the flexibility of a snake, therefore his body is able to move in the fluid motion that a serpent would. he is able to dislocate his joints with ease and twist his body in whichever way he prefers. his jaw can unhinge as well.

poison immunity: immune to poisons.

elastic jaw: the ability to unhinge his jaw to drastic measures

hyper climbing and clawing: able to slither up surfaces

seismic sense: able to feel vibrations in a seismic way whenever his limbs touch surfaces. he can feel these from quite awhile ago

enhanced lung capacity: able to hold his breath for longer

stealth: can move around swiftly and quietly

 

꒰ weaknesses ꒱

abandonment issues: if he is away from the people he loves. this can result in erratic episodes and even have a negative affect on his physical well-being

fainting: should he grow overwhelmed, he is prone to fainting.

apples: has a mild allergy to apples and takes medication for it.

oranges: has a bad allergy to oranges.

daylight: as a nocturnal reaper, daylight and other bright sources of light can weaken his senses of sight as he is used to the darkness of the night.

d’akar: an anti-magic material that can greatly weaken him if he comes into contact with it. he, especially is affected by this.

cold temperatures: can become rather inactive in the cold because of his cold blood

extreme emotional attachment: while reapers may remind one of humans, they are not. they are beings with very empathetic instincts and have souls bigger than the average mortal being — a thing that has been with them since their creation. they become extremely attached to things they love and it may cause them to become erratic if enough they love is taken away from them.

 

꒰ relationships ꒱

alessio agresta arias: fiance

rishen herrera: enemy

yuè mèng yáo: mother

zhào mùchén: father, enemy

zhào hàoyú: irish twin brother

zhào xīyáng: younger brother, dead.

zhào haitāo: younger brother

zhào yizé: younger brother

zhào yŭ xī: younger brother/sister/sibling

 

꒰ extra ꒱

he is considered one of the leaders of the enigma sector

speaks chinese ( mandarin ), spanish ( latin american ), italian, slightest bits of hindi

fluent in asl and csl

he plays the electric guitar

always wearing his mechanic goggles on his head

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Monday, July 22 - Tuesday, July 23

BUFFY: Thanks for side-kicking. I didn't want to trouble Willow. Figure she's got enough to do. First day back and all. XANDER: Are you kidding? We're doing vent work at the site. Anything's better than breathing freon for eight hours. (beat) So, did she say what this thing is? BUFFY: Some sort of spider demony thingy. She had to go pretty quickly. I think she had to sign up for classes or something. XANDER: Ah, yes, there is little that can distract the Willow when she's on the hunt for the mighty syllabi. BUFFY: I don't know. I guess she was a little more nervous than she was letting on.

~~Buffy Season 7 Episode #127: "Selfless"~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

I Trusted You (Buffy/Giles, E) by The_Crazy_Knight

Awakening the angel of death (Angel, unrated, Bones xover) by Fidelio_cascadilio

La réserve des monstres. (Cordelia, Xander, Willow, T, French) by AngelicaR2

Bedtime Story (Xander/Angel/Spike, M) by witchway

Grilled cheese and kisses (Buffy/Spike, G) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms

Number one fan (Buffy/Spike, T) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms

He brought flowers (Buffy/Spike, T) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms

Cherish the day (Buffy/Spike, T) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms

[Chaptered Fiction]

Prison of Misery Ch. 1/2 (Buffy, unrated, Harry Potter xover) by Buffyworldbuilder

The Call Ch. 4 (Giles, unrated) by pbjellius

Families Ch. 2/15 (Ensemble, unrated) by 19BBY

Shenanigans Ch. 1/5 (Buffy/Spike, T) by flootzavut

The Right Swipe Ch. 1 (Buffy/Giles, E) by DancingAngel0013

Aegis Ch. 11 (Xander, T, multiple xovers) by dogbertcarroll, Narsil

Dead Man's Afterparty Ch. 2 (COMPLETE) (Ensemble, G) by Greensword101

In the Company of Witches and Slayers: Ch. 109 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

Task Mistress, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, E) by HappyWhenItRains

Life with Buffy, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Joan963z

Stygian Nights, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, T) by JamesMFan

East of Nevada, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Blissymbolics

Stab in the back, Chapter 23 (Buffy/Spike, E) by MelG_2005

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2], Chapter 34 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Ragini

Buffy Summers and the Major Case of the Wiggins, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Soulburnt

I’ll Get You, My Pretty!, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, M) by CheekyKitten

A Second Chance- Their Story, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Loup Noir

Birds of a Feather, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Maxine Eden

The Watcher, Chapter 20 (Buffy/Spike, E) by In Mortal

Something Borrowed, Chapter 1-3 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Geliot99

Unicorn , Chapter 8-10 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Desicat

Over the Hills and Far Away, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Rea

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Tara () by samof1994

Artwork:F E A R L E S S (Cordelia) by notbraveenoughforpolitics

Artwork:Scoobies () by tubesock86

Custom Figures: Drusilla () by thegothicalice

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: Bonus Episode - Season 2 Recap by The Sunnydale Diaries

PODCAST: Episode 124: Wrecked by Mythtaken

PODCAST: BTVS 520 - Spiral by Another Buffy Podcast

[Community Announcements]

Tuesday's Prompts are Purple-y by comment-fic

Fanged Four Family Kink Bingo by Runs in the Blood Discord Server

[Fandom Discussions]

Something abt Willow defying the narrative itself to bring Buffy back. by duckwnoeyes

Becoming a puppet in “Smile Time” by lindseymcdonaldseyelashes

Wait, if Sahjhan was hoping Holtz would kill Angel and/or Darla before Connor could be born... by nicnacsnonsense

one of the things that bothers me most about late seasons btvs by greensaplinggrace

Most Shocking Moments of BTVS/AtS by hoponlilmama

SoS: A Darker Giles by Multiple Authors

What are things characters don't get enough credit for? by The Whirlwind

What's your favorite season? by The Whirlwind

Which episode do you prefer and why? by Priceless

Did they bring Angel back too soon? by Stoney

NOTHING hit like Buffy season 2,3 and 5 by Cailly_Brard7

Accents by DanTrueCrimeFan87

Lullaby/Connor’s birth by Circus1701

Mixed Feelings On Season 5 by BigBoss2203

Giles in Band Candy by Omfgjustpickaname

Pangs v Hush: Angel and the vision about Buffy by penderies

What if Buffy was transported to an alternate universe during 'The Gift' by MattanzaMafiaFedora

I appreciate these two more as an adult than I did as a teen. by illegallysmolkate

Evil Willow by thedemonglitch

Why do the writers hurt me so?! by ElephantWorldly5010

Faith Appearances/Comics? by HopingForCynics

Anyone else disappointed by Faith’s arc on Buffy? by ElephantWorldly5010

Once More with Feeling by ElephantWorldly5010

Is the Angel series any good? by DragonfruitHot9889

Buffyverse watch Order by Mat1711

Doyle Appreciation by ElephantWorldly5010

lorne reading fred in 3x03? by nellyxbear

How many schools did Buffy burn down? by MonsterTournament

Would Kate get the same Hate as Justine? by Potter1612

a hot take by brwitch

The Wish questions by Tsole96

I actually totally understand Buffy now by lokeyvigilante

Did anyone else just realize this is Pedro Pascal in S4?! by ElephantWorldly5010

For those of us who walk in worlds the others cannot begin to imagine by Stracharys

Dead Man’s Party Episode by user294859382

Giles by user294859382

Tucker's brother didn't need the trio (part 3 of the trio going solo) by drawandpaintbyfire

the order of episodes in the watchers guide by lilalphabetxboy

Rewatching for the 100th time by ConsiderationEasy967

Angel's greatest acting performances by Cailly_Brard7

Buffy The Vampire Slayer's greatest acting performances by Cailly_Brard7

Looking for a rewatch podcast, any recommendations? by ThisPaige

Which moments best capture how the show manages to balance drama and comedy by InfiniteMehdiLove

Angel was 9th. Agree? Disagree? Fight about it in the comments… by DanTrueCrimeFan87

Totally Underrated Pair. I wish we got to see more of them together. by GoblinQueenForever

I just started watching buffy and OMG okay by Substantial_Tax5577

Dushku emancipation — when and why by mig_mit

Worst Episode Title by Consistent_Crew_924

Why don’t they all train? by EnvironmentalBreath4

Do you have a favorite Angel villain? by hatcherry

Spike by Mat1711

Does anyone has download links for R2 dvdrips? by Technical-Emu3217

Power scaling by Hungry_Walrus7562

What's your favorite character quirk? by hatcherry

AtS Season 5 feels like a different show by Ok_Frame_4117

Podcast recommendations? by ceecee1909

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[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

SLDF Naval Assets, as of Operation TOUCHDOWN, 2153

SLS McKenna's Pride, McKenna-class battleship, SLDF Flagship (Commanding General's Squadron)

SLS Zughoffer Weir, McKenna-class battleship

SLS Bismarck, Texas-class battleship

SLS Ukraine, Texas-class battleship

SLS Chieftain, Liberation (Stefan Amaris)-class battleship (reactivated from museum ship status)

SLS Galactica, Dreadnought-class Battleship (reactivated from museum ship status; extensive refit)

SLS Quicksilver Mongoose, Du Shi Wang-class battleship (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Great Coyote Spirit, Nightlord-class battleship (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Warspite, Nightlord-class battleship

SLS Barham, Monsoon-class battleship (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Kumamoto, Monsoon-class battleship (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Shizuoka, Monsoon-class battleship (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Enterprise, Enterprise-class supercarrier

SLS Seoul, Samarkand-class carrier (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Beijing, Samarkand-class carrier (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Corinth, Thera-class carrier

SLS Blood Drinker, Black Lion-class battlecruiser

SLS Arctic Wolf, Black Lion-class battlecruiser

SLS Dark Wolf, Black Lion-class battlecruiser

SLS Jade Aerie, Black Lion-class battlecruiser

SLS White Aerie, Black Lion-class battlecruiser

SLS Streaking Mist, Black Lion-class battlecruiser

SLS Emerald Talon II, Black Lion-class battlecruiser

SLS Tripitz, Black Lion-class battlecruiser (hulk recovered from New Vandenburg system in return for concessions to Taurian Concordat; repaired and refitted)

SLS Bloody Fang, Cameron-class battlecruiser

SLS Turkina's Pride, Cameron-class battlecruiser

SLS Invincible, Tharkad-class battlecruiser

SLS Blue Talon, Aegis-class heavy cruiser

SLS Jade Talon, Aegis-class heavy cruiser

SLS Red Talon, Aegis-class heavy cruiser

SLS Gold Talon, Aegis-class heavy cruiser

SLS Chaos Sailor, Aegis-class heavy cruiser

SLS White Terror, Aegis-class heavy cruiser

SLS Auspicium, Aegis-class heavy cruiser

SLS Manassas, Aegis-class heavy cruiser (experimental refit)

SLS Talismantia, Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser (leased from Clan Sea Fox)

SLS Dire Wolf, Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser

SLS Accalia, Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser

SLS Ciaravella, Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser

SLS Soyal, Soyal-class heavy cruiser

SLS Victoria Ward, Liberator-class light cruiser

SLS Jerome Winson, Liberator-class light cruiser

SLS Surprise, Kimagure Surprise-class pursuit cruiser

SLS Admiral Russell Nga, Kimagure-class pursuit cruiser (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Vision of Truth, Potemkin-class troop cruiser

SLS Renown, Potemkin-class troop cruiser

SLS Abyssal, Potemkin-class troop cruiser (leased from Clan Sea Fox)

SLS Bonaventure, Potemkin-class troop cruiser (leased from Raven Alliance)

SLS Eden Rose, Potemkin-class troop cruiser (leased from Raven Alliance)

SLS Okami, Lola III-class destroyer

SLS Caleuche, Lola III-class destroyer (leased from Clan Sea Fox)

SLS Ranger, Lola III-class destroyer

SLS Emerald Tornado, Whirlwind-class destroyer

SLS Jade Tornado, Whirlwind-class destroyer

SLS Sabre Cat, Essex-class destroyer

SLS The Iowa, Essex-class destroyer

SLS Abundantia, Essex-class destroyer

SLS Deathblow, Essex-class destroyer

SLS Manchester, Suffren-class destroyer

SLS Queen Lynx, York-class destroyer

SLS Brimstone, York-class destroyer (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Exodus Avenger, York-class destroyer (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Exodus Crusader, York-class destroyer (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Exodus Sentinel, York-class destroyer (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Nebulous, York-class destroyer (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS The Protector, York-class destroyer (recovered from Clan Homeworlds mothball fleet during Operation PICKPOCKET)

SLS Rogue, Congress-class frigate

SLS Fire Crest, Congress-class frigate

SLS Kerensky's Pride, Congress-class frigate

SLS Silver Merlin, Peregrine-class corvette

SLS Green Kestrel, Peregrine-class corvette

SLS Killing Blow, Vincent Mk42-class corvette

SLS Arm's Reach, Vincent Mk42-class corvette

SLS Simas Osis, Vincent Mk42-class corvette

SLS Liberator, Volga-class transport (leased from Clan Sea Fox)

SLS Megalodon, Volga-class transport (leased from Clan Sea Fox)

SLS Matahourua, Carrack-class transport (leased from Clan Sea Fox)

SLS Tethys, Carrack-class transport (leased from Clan Sea Fox)

SLS Far Star, Carrack-class transport

SLS Enlightened Path, Carrack-class transport

SLS Nebula, Carrack-class transport

SLS Glory Road, Carrack-class transport

SLS Blessed Vision, Carrack-class transport

SLS Pathfinder, Carrack-class transport

SLS Guiding Vision, Carrack-class transport

SLS Bright Star, Carrack-class transport

SLS Faithful Rite, Carrack-class transport

SLS Dover, Faslane-class yardship

SLS Necessitas, Faslane-class yardship

SLS Harmonia, Faslane-class yardship

SLS Glamorgan, Faslane-class yardship

SLS Clementia, Newgrange-class Yardship

[arisenreborn]

Going to start posting some of my pawn lovers guild qotd answers here for archival purposes (and to fondly look back on the Pain).

Todays question was... well, I think it was something about what music would play in a fight against them which turned into "Design a Boss Battle" 😂

Emrys Boss Battle

Okay so he’s a pain in the ass. He’s taken the form of the dragonsplague dragon evolution pretty much; similar features but a little more physicality to him, bigger than a drake (not as big as Grigori), very sexy and fucked up. More aerial a bit like a wyvern, he’s frustratingly fast and fights like an archer/thief: pelting you with briney arrows that leave corrupting puddles where they hit for a small period, or darting in close and lashing you with his tail or talons before dipping back out. He shouldn’t be able to move so fast for something so damn big. 

Poisons, fire breath, duh, but it has a cool briney effect to it and will have an acidic-like effect around it (similar mechanically to poison really). He’ll occasionally control one of your pawns. Higher chance of dragonsplague infection just fighting him in general.

I like to think he wanders the world and is kind of a “random” encounter. Gonna segue a second about the music: Lux Aeterna is the inspiration but definitely a twisted up version that ‘grows’ with every encounter; it starts out discordant and hard to pick up on the melody, with sort of Silent Hill-ish vibes woven through it. With each encounter (three MAIN encounters depending on how each fight goes) it grows in intensity, frenzy, and drama. It becomes more ‘clear’ but also more ‘violent’, the final version has an aspect of ‘anxiety/fear’ - a creature torn between fight or flight. 

Getting him in a ‘downed’ state in the first two fights is just him hovering feebly closer to the earth and making him an easier target.

Each encounter can be ‘failed’ or ‘succeeded’, failure is him flying away, success obviously when you defeat him results in him basically divebombing the ground which almost seems more like a kamikaze/escape…he crashes and bursty-melts into a plaguey, brine-like substance in the ground you shouldn’t touch until it gradually goes away -will have the same effect as genuine brine. You get exp but frustratingly no loot, alluding to the fact he’s not actually gone yet. Each success grows the difficulty (and music) of the next encounter. 

You probably get garbled dragonspeak also: mostly just cursing you as the Arisen, the second fight gives you a ‘you won’t take … from me…’ as he fades away. 

Third fight will be the most intense - and he’ll try to escape often. He’ll lose -some- of that physicality and be more of a dick to hit without magic/enchanted weapons. A lot more briney attacks, can control up to two pawns if you’re not quick about dealing with the first one. 

However once in his downed state he’ll actually slouch down on the ground on all fours, and his ‘heart’ will be revealed, a cavity in his chest leaking out what looks like a woman wrapped in black and red tendrils and fleshy sinews.

Yeah, it’s Olivia, though she looks a bit, yanno, like she’s become the pseudo-heart of a plaguedragon. So you’ve gotta attack her while he’s downed and you will hear him make… awful awful sounds when you do. He may even beg you to stop. 

But you won’t, of course, and once you’ve broken his heart sufficiently he’ll gradually crumble to mist and dust with the final words "Olivia... forgive-..." and leave you with all the gold and wyrmslife crystals you could have hoped for, you monster.

Also a ‘Corrupt Dragon’s Aegis’, idk what it’s stats are (probably not *super* different from the usual) but it’s probably neat. And depressing. Probably a description along the lines of ‘A shield once carried by the brave Arisen of another world…’ Finally, a wolf fang necklace… (it was a gift Emrys gave to Olivia. It can be given to an NPC for high +40 affection)

The description on the necklace is: "It seems to exude an aura of love, whoever once owned it treasured it dearly."

[deathbirby]

Hero's Relics Origins - Part 2

This is the last part, I promise.

Blutgang

Storm Dragon

I don't know what that is.

Fortunately, we have Maurice to examine!

Look at that plated back. It's similar to the blade of Blutgang. That begs the question, though. Is it armor or is it bone? I'm going to say it's both. Blutgang is made out of this bone, and it uses a few other parts of the spine.

Google Translate says that "the feel of its armor is similar to Blutgang."

Translation would be appreciated!

Oh, and Maurice also has small back sail. That points to the possibility of the Storm Dragon being able to fly.

Thunderbrand

Lightning Dragon

What the hell is this?

I guess it could be a weird horn? Or maybe it's the tail? Breastbone with ribs? Part of the spine? A fang? Thigh bone, and the spikes are actually just fangs or something that has been fused to it?

I have no fucking clue. If someone can come up with a theory, I'll put it here.

Suttungr's Mystery

Lightning Dragon

...I don't know. That green covering could be its skin, or just some regular leather. It looks like there is a ribcage when I zoom into that gap.

Hrotti

Dark Dragon

Unfortunately, there is not a lot to go off of. Tomes are always the most difficult to figure out.

Dark dragons in Fire Emblem tend to look snake-like. I suppose you could see this as the skull being flattened and split in half to make two sides of a book. The line going through the book could be where the jaw splits, and the hole with the crest stone is supposed to have an eye in it.

I'm grasping for straws here.

Failnaught

Star Dragon

Look at that muscle attached to it. I think this might be the only relic to have that.

I used Google Translate on that little bit of text in the concept art. It says: "A bow made from the bones and sinews of a dragon's fingers."

I don't speak Japanese, so I do need someone to confirm that little bit of text. Here's a bit clearer(?) version.

But that makes it pretty obvious... if it's true! It was made using the bones and tendons of the Star Dragon's fingers.

I don't know what the Star Dragon might've looked like, and I don't have anything to use as a basis. Those 'fingers' have spikes on them. I don't know any animal that might have that.

Vajra-Mushti

Snow Dragon

I wanted to say that this looks like a scorpion's head, but there are two of these (gauntlets), so that's probably not the case. It's most likely made out of the hands. The metal plating is used to keep it closed.

BUT WAIT! What if it IS the head? There is a hole that could work as an eye socket. Maybe the skull was somehow split to make gauntlets? The metal plating would be used to keep the lower and upper jaw shut.

What animal has tusks like that and is associated with snow? Best I can think of is a mammoth.

Rafail Gem

Aegis Dragon

The Aegis Dragon gets to be unique. Only the part around the Crest Stone is made out of bone. The rest of it might very well be decoration. Or maybe they come from somewhere else... Maybe the blue crystals are kidney stones?

Ichor Scroll

Aegis Dragon

It doesn't look like there is a lot of bone there? It might be made using the hand. Look at all those lines and the small holes.

Sword of the Creator

Sothis

Alright, lots of people are saying this is the spine, and I totally agree. They really liked turning spines into weapons for some goddess-forsaken reason.

BUT the argument of it being the tail also holds up! The spine doesn't have a sharp point like that. Ultimately, I cannot say for certain which one it would be. I personally am more inclined to say it's the spine.

The crossguard could be made using the pelvis, shoulder blades, or even the wings. It all depends on whether or not they got the bones from Sothis's dragon form. Oh, and I can see what looks like more muscle on the "wings".

Now what in the world is that hilt made out of? It's definitely not made out of the spine or tail, so what is it? Maybe a strong bone like the femur? The ends are more flared out than the middle.

But how?

Okay, so now that you know what the relics are made out of and what bones were used, it's time for YOU to go make some relics.

"How am I going to do that??" - You

Do not worry, my fellow human. I have gone ahead and made a guide for you! Follow its instructions closely, and you too can wield a weapon of mass destruction in no time.

How to create your own Heroes Relic!

Find a dragon. It can be dead or alive, just make sure its corpse is not completely destroyed.

If it's still alive, kill it. I don't care how you do it. Just kill it. Try to cut off a limb or go directly for the crest stone on its head. That seems to be their weak spot.

It's dead? Good! Time to cut. What? You say that its corpse is too big? Shrink it! What do mean that sounds dumb? Have you SEEN the other Relics? I mentioned this in a previous post, but no fucking dragon has bones that small. All the relics are shrunken in some way, damn it! NOW SHRINK IT!

Okay. Get your cutting equipment ready. You can use a sword, a knife, a chainsaw. I don't care. Just be careful.

Now then, onto the good part. The skin might still be useful for something like leather, so be sure to flay it first.

Start cutting away at the meat and fatty layer. Do not go too deep. You do not want to destroy the muscle layer before you've seen it first. You could still use it for something!

You've reached the muscles. Congratulations! Now, I know that the bones are the real price here, but the tendons can be very useful in some designs. So start collecting a bunch of tendons and some muscle here and there.

Is your bag full? Great! When you're sure you've got all the tendons you need, start cutting until you reach the bone. Don't worry about damaging it. Your puny blade won't do anything against it.

There, the bones are right there. RIPE for the taking! I assume that you've already picked out a design for a Relic before you started this. That means you know what bones you want to use. Take those bones.

I also assume that you know you need a Crest Stone, which means you need to get the dragon's heart. What's the fastest way to get to the heart? Well, you're not breaking the ribcage any time soon, so cut open the abdomen, right under where the diaphragm would be. You don't know where that is? It's around the liver and the stomach. You'll know when you get there. Now, you need to cut open that diaphragm and reach in there with your trusty knife or chainsaw. A human heart has a pericardium, a sac that surrounds your heart and keeps in it place. I don't know if a dragon has one, but I would still try to check if it's there and cut it away. And you don't need the veins.

While you're in there cutting away, drink its blood. You might as well. Slurp all of that shit up. You'll know you've drunk enough blood once you manifest a crest. Not manifesting a crest? Dive back in there and start chugging!

I hope you have everything you need by now. Pack that shit up and move to a place where you can quietly forge it into a weapon. How do you do that? Fuck if I know. All I know is that you need dragon remains. Figure it out yourself! If all else fails, put bone on a stick and tie it together with tendons and superglue. Don't forget to shove a crest stone somewhere in there so it actually functions!

Alright. I hope this was a useful guide for you! Don't forget to leave a 5-star review on my page!

[fromsoft-armoured-babes]

But wait… there’s more ‼️‼️

Did your fav get knocked out in Round 1? Left you feeling heartbroken? Anguished, even? Well, what if I told you that your favourite loser* had the opportunity to win the Hottest Fromsoft Armoured Babe Loser Tournament!

*loser as in got kicked out the original tourney. may or may not be a loser loser.

List of Candidates:

Executioner

Tree Sentinel

Looking Glass Knight

Velstadt, the Royal Aegis

Eygon of Carim

Kirk, Knight of Thorns

Ruin Sentinel

Yurt, the Silent Chief

Commander Niall

Champion Gundyr

Boreal Outrider Knight

Armoured Warrior

Corvian Knight

Juno Hoslow

Vordt of the Boreal Valley

Executioner Smough

Pontiff Knight

Gyoubu Oniwa

Biorr, of the Twin Fangs

Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree

Fume Knight Raime

Recusant Bernahl

Bell Gargoyle

Drakeblood Knight

[valthu-um]

TES Aethestic Playlists (ESO Content Edition)

Do I have too much time on my hands? No, definitely not. Anyway, here’s a continuation of the Elder Scrolls Mixtape project available on Spotify. Pt. I Pt. II (WIP) Dungeons:

Scalecaller Peak

Fang Lair

Lair of Maarselok

Moongrave Fane

Black Drake Villa

The Cauldron

Depths of Malatar

Frostvault

The Dread Cellar

Red Petal Bastion

Icereach

Unhallowed Grave

Ruins of Mazzatun

Stone Garden

Castle Thorn

Bloodroot Forge

Falkreath Hold

Moon Hunter Keep 

Trials:

Aetherian Archive

Hel Ra Citadel

Sanctum Ophidia

Maw of Lorkhaj

Halls of Fabrication

Asylum Sanctorium

Cloudrest

Sunspire

Kyne’s Aegis

Rockgrove

Dreadsail Reef

Arenas:

Maelstrom Arena

Vateshran Hollows

[feely-touchy]

I slept under the aegis

Taking shelter from the rain

The thunder woke me anyway

The cold shook my feeble body

I was weak but I felt safe

Hiding in my woolen blanket beneath the goatskin

Awaiting the wolves with the lightning

As they come berating and badgering

Gods and other devils

Mothers of failed empires

Wannabe kings and false countrymen

Carrying their starving children's hammers

I watched them march upon Olympus

Saying they would retake Tartarus

Whilst I was woven into my blanket

Hopefully shielded from the bullshit

Praying to no one in particular

In desperation

"Make life sacred

That the downtrodden and damned might live

That the crusade might end

That the sharp fangs of old and evil things might break on first bite

So even our enemies might find salvation"

[soraeia]

*{ Avelan, unless you are here to tell me that you are capable of wiping the mess your brother caused from the memory of everyone in attendance, be silent. I am not in the mood to hear anything else you have to say. }

Avelan shrunk back at those words, almost stunned. The disappointment and anger in the way his father spoke felt like the fangs of a snake, biting into him and sending venom into his blood. And this was already the second time he'd been bitten today.

Riliane carefully watched the interaction before her, almost pitying her brother. She knew their father wouldn't be happy to hear what they'd come to share, but it was an urgent matter he needed to know regardless. Charidynn's displeasure...no---his wrath, at this point, was inevitable.

She could only thanks the gods that it wasn't direct at her.

She stepped forward and bid him closer so that she could whisper into his ear what she had seen in her vision: Tahariel Elohim has returned to the Aegis with every intention to take had once been promised to him.

"............."

[doomedandstoned]

Finland Death-Doomers LURK Turn Loose “Infidel” from Fourth LP ‘Aegis’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Artwork by Paolo Girardi

The marriage between doom and death metal was inevitable, but its long life was not. Yet here we are more than three decades hence and the subgenre still thrives. A band that's been active at least half of that time is Tampere's LURK, active since 2008 and now with four full-length records to their name. The first three LPs came together in steady succession: Lurk in 2012, Kaldera in 2014, and Fringe in 2016 (reviewed here). While no explanation has been offered for the recording silence that ensued, I was nevertheless delighted to learn of a new offering: 'Aegis' (2023).

The title more than hints at the shield carried by Zeus and Athena, which the Iliad says "produced a sound as from myriad roaring dragons." There is, in fact, a dragon on the album cover made up of warriors, demons, and demented souls. Each of the seven tracks play wonderfully to this horrifically beautiful and detailed painting, though it is not (to my knowledge) intended to be programmatic.

"Cursed!" the dread voice of K. Koskinen cries out, as the new single "Infidel" lumbers. It's a creepy number, made all the more so by A. Pulkkinen's synthesizer. His guitar leads are forlorn and searching, whilst E. Nurmi's bass is a warm consolation. Drummer K. Nurmi keeps things sailing along smoothly, making the song feel like a vessel adrift on the river Styx. This is now the 4th single ahead of the record's imminent release.

Lurk's new album Aegis is morbid, bruising, and maudlin, yet robust and sustaining throughout -- at times even tranquil. Look for it on Transcending Obscurity Records in digital and compact disc formats this Friday, April 7th (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with Serpentine Path, Fange, and Cult of Occult.

Give ear...

LISTEN: Lurk - "Infidel"

SOME BUZZ

Finnish band Lurk return with their unique brand of slow, dreamy, unpredictable and vile sludge/doom to confound and enthrall listeners all over again. The deceptively catchy and entrancing quality of the music has been honed and the music slithers in its inimitable way, progressing in directions not easy to ascertain.

The music itself is a blend of multiple subgenres and is far too evolved now for the influences to be clearly identified. The band upholds this singular sound throughout the album and still manages to give each of the seven songs their own identity. Without a perceptible disruption of momentum, they all succeed in shifting the mood their own way, adding variations and conveying a wide range of emotions.

For an album that may seem innocuous, it will leave you emotionally vulnerable by the end of it all. For fans of Altar of Betelgeuse, Eibon, Usnea, Subterraen, Adramelech, Fleshpress.

Aegis (Sludge/Doom Metal) by LURK

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